The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1884. THE COUNTY ENGINEER.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1818, 20 October 1884, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1884. THE COUNTY ENGINEER.

Our local contemporary in its last issue referring to the letter which we published on the question between the County ■ Council and its engineer, says

Who is this pitiful commentator ] Who cares for his contempt ? At whom is his contempt directed and for what? Because Councillors have the temerity to demand, not a mock inquiry, but a lair investigation into a oharga against the official staff of the Uouuoil of a moat damaging character, are they to be pelted with mud at the hands of an anonymous scribbler? If the County engineer possesses bo much "manliness," why has he not the manliness to assist the Council in their efforts to vindicate his cliaraoter and honor by properly investigating a charge of corrupt collusion directed against him and bis subordinate, But because in defiance of Crs McGregor and Beethah, Crs Mackay, Maunseh,, Meredith and Chasjbeblain have dared to perform their duties as honest representatives they are to be accused of a want of manliness I _ 'Lot the author of thfa valuable testimonial to the " energy and single minded devotedness" of the County engineer prove his maulinesa by acknowledging his hand. If he is a member of this County Council firing his venomed darts at his colleagues from a distance they ought to know it so that their want of manliness may he fairly contrasted with the manly and courageous conduct of tho moral cuttle-fish that only kills what it ombraces and pollutes with vile secretions the water in which it lives,

The writer of the letter may be, or may not be, a pitiful commentator. We have heard several gentlemen named as the author of it, and it is a singular coincidence that all of them are men of high honor and unimpeachable integrity. It is not for us to indicate who is or who is not the writer of it. It is a letter that any honorable man might have written, When a coin rings true we are not anxious to know from what quarter it comes! It is the true ring of the letter and not its source that disagrees with our contemporary. " Who cares for the contempt of the writer ?" asks our contemporary We fancy there is some indication of wincing on the part of the galled jade! The facts of the case are very simple, Mr Reese came to the Council with a complaint against Mr King. Whether he came at the request of one or more honorable Councillors or after consultation with them we know not, The Chairman of the Council at once offered him a committee of inquiry. This ought to have satisfied any reasonable complainant, but Mr Reese was not content. There must be an immediate investigation! The plaintifi's case must be brought forward in the absence of the defendant. The fortunate chance gf the defendant being ill at home

must bo'taken advantage ot. The plaintilV waain rather an awkward 1 position himself. It was known that he was attacking Mr .Km about. the. 1 Mungapakeha bridge' because • he was sore af« not getting the Waipoua bridge, and that. had he obtained the contract for the latter work not a word would have been said about the former, His action was a " vendetta" and the blow with the assistance of honorable Councillors was to be struck when Mr King's back was turned. The majority of the Councillors present patted Mr .Reese on the back, and as it were cried, " pitch into King, now's the time to hit him! We'll back you up." We confess to a 1 feeling of surprise that gentlemen like Messrs Macicay and Maunsell should have countenanced such conduct. We are not astonished at Messrs Meredith ant' Chamberlain's action because they are notoriously disloyal to the County and can hardly be expected to be just to a County officer. We hope yet to get some satisfactory explanation from Mr Mackay in particular. Mr Mackay is a member of the Public Works Committee, he took a special interest in the Mungapakeha bridge and was cognizant of all arrangements made in connection therewith. H,e was in a position to state from his own knowledge whether the charge,. of. "corrupt collusion" against Mr King was well founded or trumped up. He was even in a position to do more than this. He must have been invare that Mr King's course of action had been approved by the Works Committee and it was incumbent on hiin to have declared that the members of the Works Committee and he himself as one who had taken a special interest in the Mungapakeha bridge, were responsible as well as Mr King for the alleged dishonesty. We hope Messrs Mackay and Maunsell have some satisfactory explanation for joining on this occasion the ranks of the County conspirators. If they have not, the sooner the County is abolished the better. We would rather have seen it. suspended at once than see it insult a tried and faithful servant whom it was bound alike by gratitude and inter-' est to defend. We have always had great faith in County Government, but when it comes to a choice between County death aud County dishonor we would givo the former a pieference, When right thinking men begin to blush for a County it is time for it to go. Our local contemporary talks about the efforts of the Council"to vindicate the character of Mr King. It might just as well praise the efforts of a spider to vindicate the character of a fly. A trap was set for Mr King, and as it was supposed that he would not walk into it an effort was made to force him into it. Mr King's character requires no vindication. If it did ' there are a hundred honorable men in ' this district possessing the respect and confidence of the public who would | come forward and do the work, It is a , mistake to imagine that because Mr ; King has been decried and maligned • that he has no friends, and that bis 1 character must be vindicated by his 1 avowed enemies. We venture to pro ; phecy that before very long the pre- ! judice which has been created against ! Mr King will be removed, and that he ) will stand higher than ever he has dono i in popular estimation. We have to I thank our local. contemporary for a very appropriate metaphor, viz., " the : cuttle fish, which only killed what they embraced." With a Council trying to 1 vindicate the County Engineer's character by stabbing him in tbe back, . thfire is not much difficulty in discovering the whereabouts of the affectionate . but fatal monster of the deep,

The Greytown Butter and Cheese i'aotory commence operations to-day (Monday), The Treasurer of the Masterton Hoapita acknowledges the receipt of £4 from the Bowlands station.

The applications for the office of Poundkeeper to the Borough of Masterton close at 6 p.m. to-morrow, The Morrison's Bush Quadrille As?embly held their breaking up soiree in Mr Wm. Mitchell's barn on Friday night, . There were between 80 and 40 couples present and all seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves, Mr H, Hodge acted as M.C., and the musio was supplied by Mr lundqvist and the Greytown Private Band. The refreshments, which were abundantly provided by the ladies, were all that could be desired. Dancing was kept up in real country style till six o'clock on Saturday morniug when all made for home, although very tirod much pleased with the night's recreation. All present spoke in very high terms of the kindness of Mr Mitchell in placiug such a commodious room at the committee's disposal.-

The Christchurcb Press records that at a recent sitting of the E.M. Court, a young man stepped forward to the table and said he wished to ask his Worship tn send him to gaol for a month. He was a shoemaker by trade, and had travelled all over the country in Bearcli of work, but without success His feet were sore, he was full of pains andaohos, and he had no place to go to and nothing to eat. If his Worship would only send him to gaol ho would at least have food and shelter, and perhaps rest. Mr Beetham sail if ho wantGd work he should go to Mr March, or if he was ill he should apply to the house surgeon of the hospital. The Hpplicant replied that he was unable to break stones, and that he had been to the hospital, where some person—he did not know whom—had refused in an impertinent manner to do anything for him What was ho to do 7 He could not starve. His Worship—Well, aB you have not committed any effence, I shall certainly not send you to goal. We have enough to do here to deal with real offenders. Mr Pender will go with you to Mr March, and see what can be done.

Talking of wild beasts, it may be men" tioued tluit in the Dublin Zoological Gardens a lioness had eaten her own lail. One day she removed twelve inches of the appendage, and after an interval resumed her past and swallowed more. Efforts were made to heal the bleeding Btump, bnt the lioness continued eating it. The tail has almost intirely disappeared, and she has commenced to eiit one of her fore paws. The animal will have to be destroyed.

The perfection of gardening is shown by the way people select their seeds and by their endeavours to get only the purest and best varieties, It cannot be denied tint " Suttons" seeds stand pre-eminent in the horticultural world, These seeds can now be obtained from their local agents, ltapp and Hare, from whom Sutton's lists, and all particulars can be obtained,—Advt,

The PhcenixLodao, 1,0. G.T. meets to* night at the Temperance Hull Ohapel-Bt.

Messrs Lowes and lorns announce_a ] sale of furniture by order of the Offioial, Assignee for Friday next. :;~ • The Greytown Volunteers Parade, for inspection to-morrow (Tuesday) night at 7.30, and for olaas firing at 6 a.m. on Wednesday. Some interesting particulars re the Miki Miki reef are Riven in our correspondence oolum by J.M R,. It is further rumored that Mr Wright has pegged off a mining olnim on the ranges.

Messrs Lowes & lorn 3 cnnlinue their side of bankrupt stock to-morrow at 2 o'clock, The catalogue is of an unusual length and every line haviui; to he Bold at any sacrifice, the public will have another opportunity of securing useful purchases at their own prices,

The joint committee on ihe Sheep and; Rabbit Acts have recommended " That! no officer who fails to clean the sheep under his charge within a period of two years should be retained in the service," This recommendation is fatal to the hopes of Mr Sutton's friends who prophesied that he would be reinstated. We hear that there is a good demand for tickets of admission to the service of song entitled ' Jessica's First Prayer" which takes place in the Presbylorian church on Wednesday evening next. The members of the chorus are requested to meet for practice 'to-night at half-past seven o'clock in the Presbyterian Church. ■ A man named Stevens was arrested today by Detective McGrath on a warrant charging liim with s'ealing a horse from Otaki, McGrath only came up by the twelve o'clock train and as he was stepping out of the carriage he saw his man going into a shed close by. He at once captured him, and took him to Wellington by the return train.

- Leslie McKenna was brought up before Mr Wardell this morning and was again coinmitteed to the custody of tbe police as he was unable to find iresh bail as his former sureties were unwilling to allow ttnjir bail to remain. He informed the Court that Perry's leaving the district made it difficult for him to obtain bail. He saw Perry for the last time on Sunday the 12th inst. For several days after this date. he was under the impression that Per/y was laid up. The one shilling revenue stamp is now a common tender instead ot the silver shilling. This is caused by the telegraph revenue being being collected by stamps instead of by coin. The Government appears to have imposed the additional trouble of affixing stamps as a set off against the concession of opening the officos for an hour during the evenings. It does not yet Beem to be generally known that Telegraph offices throughout the colony' now vend stamps to the ■public and are on tlie same footing in that respect as the Post office, "Captain" Francis, accompaniod by " Sergoaot" Lawrence, of the Salvation Army left Masterton in a single-seated buggy for Carterton on Saturday afternoon, and on reaching the. Waingawa river they hesitated to venture across, but ultimately proceeded, and having got into the middle of the stream, seeing an inevitable capsize they made a jump for it into the river from which they both succeeded in making their escape. The buggy overturned just as they clenrad it, but the horse and damaged buggy was rescued with nothing worse than a broken buggy-pole, and the loss of a few trifles. The Captain in a suit of borrowed clothes conducted the meeting at Carterton that evening.

The lunatic Gibson was captured last night in Pigeon Valley, Wakefield. About seven o'clock last evening Mr Wadsworih wbb walking with a young lady and when near tho footbridge he saw a man who was barefooted walk on to the road about one hundred yards distant, and feeling sure it was Gibßon, he dashed off after him, As soon as Gibson saw he was observed ho made off with tho intention of gaining the bush, but Wadsworth was too quick and after a Bliarp run caught the man, who fortunately was unarmed and offered no resistance. Wadsworih obtained the assistance of some settlers and brought Gibson to Spring Grove, from whence shortly after he was removed to town. Gibson bears no signs of exposure and looks the picture of health and strength On boing charged with shooting Busch, ho replied 'hat no one saw him do it and they could not prove it, He seems in eo way violent. Wadsworih deserves great praise, as search parties were out in quite different directions. From latest reports Buscli is progressing satisfactorily, The Duke of Sussex says;—" Masonry is ouo of the most sublime and perfect institutions that ever was formed for the advancement of happiness and general good of mankind, creating in all its varieties universal benevolence and brotherly love. It holds out allurements so captivating as to inspire the brother with emulation to deeds of glory, such as must command throughout the; world veneration and appiausa, anil suoh as must entitle those who perform them to dignity and respect. It teaches us those useful wise, and instructive doctrines upon which alone true happiness is founded, and at. the same .time affords those easy paths by which to attain the rewards of virtue; it teaches us the duties which we owe to our neighbour, 'nevfir to injure him in any one situation, but to conduct ourselves with justice and impartiality ; it orders us to he true to our trust, and above all meanness and [dissimulations,, and in all our vocations to perform religiously that which weought to do"—"Liberal Free, mason."

. A new dish with which epicures temp fate and give an impetus to stomach and dynes is composed of sliced Oranges sliced pineapples, sliced bananas, slicei boiled eggs, sliced cucumbers, vinegar am augur. It is called a fruit salad.

After soveral yoars experience in supplying watches for the colouial market, Littlejohn and Son, of Lambton Quay, Wellington, havo observed the need for a thoroughly sound English Lever Watch at a lowor price than that usually paid for such watches. It is only bj the judicious division of labor and by the manufaetuie of large quantities on a uniform plan, that we are enabled to meet this want. Wb have now the pleasure of introducing our Six Guinea Hunting Silver Lover, This watch, being simple in design durable, highly finished, and accurate, fulfils, all the requirements of a pocket timekeeper; A written guarantee for two years will be given with each w*<ch. Sent by post, securely packed, on receipt of Po6t Olce order or cheauo.—(Anvri